What do you think of the new mutant strain that needs attention? Experts explained one by one that the number of COVID-19 infected patients in hospitals in Shanghai has increased slightly recently | population | variation

Release time:Apr 14, 2024 21:47 PM

Are there many "little yang people" around me again? During the summer travel season and frequent crowd exchanges, the reporter learned from many medical institutions in Shanghai that the number of COVID-19 outpatient clinics has increased by 10% -15% recently, the symptoms of the patients are generally fair, and the number of patients with severe diseases has not increased.

Just recently, the World Health Organization listed the new mutant strain EG.5 as a "strain that needs attention". How do you view the new mutant strain? How to deal with COVID-19 in summer? Jiefang Daily's Shangguan News reporter interviewed Ling Yun, Deputy Director of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, on this matter.

Global COVID-19 cases increased

The number of cases in Shanghai's medical institutions is consistent with that in China. Statistics from China's disease control department showed that the positive rate of COVID-19 rose by 13.4% at the end of July. Globally, the number of cases of COVID-19 has increased significantly in the past month. According to data from the World Health Organization, countries reported nearly 1.5 million new cases from July 10th to August 6th, an 80% increase from the previous month.

The World Health Organization also informed that summer cases have increased in recent weeks in countries in the northern hemisphere, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. The number of cases in the Western Pacific region has increased by 137%, with South Korea reporting approximately 1.2 million new cases.

Why does COVID-19 disease increase this season? Ling Yun explained that summer gatherings, frequent communication, and the emergence of new variants may be the reasons for the global increase in the number of cases. Just as the number of cases in medical institutions in Shanghai has slightly increased after the May Day holiday, experts predict that the number of cases may also increase after the start of school, as children's travel ends, return to school, and start collective life, but there will not be a large-scale outbreak.

The new variant evolved from a coexisting state

In early August, the World Health Organization listed the new strain of EG.5 as a "strain that needs attention". Ling Yun stated that the current situation between the population and the virus is in a state of chronic coexistence. In fact, in order for a virus to survive, it needs to mutate and constantly update under the pressure of group immunity, which is the survival law of the virus.

Existing research shows that EG. 5 is still a member of the Omicron family and a descendant of XBB1.9.2. This variant was first discovered in February this year, and the number of cases has increased since then. From June to July, the proportion of EG.5 variant infections in all reported cases by the World Health Organization has increased from 7.5% to 17.4%. Although the overall risk is low, based on the genetic characteristics, immune escape characteristics, and growth rate of mutant strains, the World Health Organization estimates that EG.5 may spread globally.

Ling Yun further added, "Compared to the variants that evolved in a closed environment before, the EG.5 variant belongs to the variant that evolved in a coexisting environment. According to the trend of virus mutations, it should be gradually easing, but scientists are still continuously observing and monitoring."

Suggest getting influenza vaccine to prevent "stacking"

Although there is no evidence to suggest that the new EG.5 variant is more at risk of severe illness, experts suggest that high-risk populations should still complete full vaccination if they have not received the vaccine. Once the infected person is tested positive, it is recommended to use small molecule antiviral drugs as early as possible. This can not only reduce the viral load, slow down symptoms, but also block the transmission routes within the family, protecting the family.

Ling Yun said that to this day, antigen testing is still very sensitive to the Omicron strain. If there are corresponding symptoms, an antigen should be tested first to determine whether it is infected, and medication should be taken as soon as possible. At present, there are many options for small molecule antiviral drugs, which can be taken under the advice of a doctor, and there is no need for hard antiviral therapy. Clinical data also shows that although various mutant strains continue to mutate, antiviral drugs are still effective, and early application can significantly reduce the risk of sequelae.

The expert finally reminded that September is another "flu season", and the death rate of influenza superimposed on COVID-19 will increase significantly. It is recommended that high-risk individuals such as the elderly, children, and medical staff receive timely influenza vaccines to achieve 60% -70% protection against influenza, and take preventive measures.

Why is "Cancer King" immunotherapy ineffective? Fudan Cancer Hospital Reveals New Mechanisms of Immunosuppressive Environment for pancreatic cancer CRIP1 | Tumor | pancreatic cancer
Why is "Cancer King" immunotherapy ineffective? Fudan Cancer Hospital Reveals New Mechanisms of Immunosuppressive Environment for pancreatic cancer CRIP1 | Tumor | pancreatic cancer

Immunotherapy has been proven to achieve significant therapeutic effects in various solid tumors. However, for pancreatic cancer, known as the "king of cancer", immunotherapy has been ineffective. On August 4, Professor Yu Xianjun, Dean of the Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, and Shi Si, Associate Professor of Pancreatic Surgery released a research achievement, which first found the key role of cysteine rich protein 1 in shaping the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, filled the gap in the research field of immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, and provided a theoretical basis for precise immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer patients. Ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas is the main type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for about 90% of all pancreatic cancer. Due to its high malignancy and poor treatment effectiveness, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has always been one of the most malignant tumors. In recent years, the level of surgical techniques and comprehensive treatment has been achieved

A 14-year-old girl suffers from a rare eye disease and receives support from a public welfare fund. Symptoms of "I haven't looked in the mirror for a long time" | Patient | Public welfare
A 14-year-old girl suffers from a rare eye disease and receives support from a public welfare fund. Symptoms of "I haven't looked in the mirror for a long time" | Patient | Public welfare

A 14-year-old girl has been experiencing symptoms such as protruding pupils, incomplete eye closure, corneal injury, restricted eye movement, and overall fatigue for several years. The physical discomfort and facial abnormalities caused by eye diseases have made her increasingly reticent, and her temperament is vastly different from before. At the Ophthalmology Department of the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the pupil has been diagnosed with a rare thyroid ophthalmopathy combined with myasthenia gravis, which requires prompt treatment. However, considering the young age of the pupil, conventional hormone and radiation therapy cannot be used. Therefore, Zhou Huifang, Deputy Director of Ophthalmology and thyroid ophthalmology expert, has developed a targeted drug combined with surgical treatment plan for it, and targeted drug treatment will be performed first. Three months ago, I was hospitalized for one week with mydriasis and received intravenous targeted drug treatment. Afterwards, I went home for observation and followed up on time

The municipal eye disease prevention and treatment center launched the dry eye diagnosis and treatment studio, and the incidence rate of dry eye in China is about 21% to 30% of the meibomian gland | dry eye | eye disease
The municipal eye disease prevention and treatment center launched the dry eye diagnosis and treatment studio, and the incidence rate of dry eye in China is about 21% to 30% of the meibomian gland | dry eye | eye disease

According to the Statistics of Chinese Dry Eye Expert Consensus, the incidence rate of dry eye in China is about 21%~30%, and it is estimated that there are at least 300 million patients nationwide. The Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment Studio of Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center was officially launched today. In the future, the studio will continuously improve the dry eye diagnosis and treatment standards, and form standardized diagnosis and treatment concepts and service models. Suitable technologies will be promoted to the community, allowing residents to enjoy convenient dry eye diagnosis and treatment services at their doorstep. Executive Dean and Party Secretary Gao Wei stated that this is also one of the livelihood service measures recently launched by the hospital around high-quality development and meeting the needs of the people. It is reported that dry eye syndrome is a chronic ocular surface disease caused by multiple factors. The instability of the tear film or imbalance of the ocular surface microenvironment caused by abnormal quality, quantity, and dynamics of tears can be accompanied by ocular surface inflammatory reactions, tissue damage, and nerve abnormalities, resulting in various discomforts in the eyes

The Ninth Hospital has taken the lead in formulating the world's first consensus on core indicators for clinical evaluation of dental implants, which has been officially published in clinical practice
The Ninth Hospital has taken the lead in formulating the world's first consensus on core indicators for clinical evaluation of dental implants, which has been officially published in clinical practice

The International Dental Implant Consensus Report, jointly written by the Ninth People's Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and renowned universities in the field of dentistry such as Harvard University, University of Zurich, University of Gothenburg, Columbia University, and University of Frankfurt, has recently been jointly published in top journals in the field of dentistry, including Clinical Periodontology and Clinical Dental Implant Research. This consensus has for the first time established an internationally unified core set of indicators for evaluating the clinical effectiveness of dental implants, covering the five key areas of the field of dental implants. It is of milestone significance for carrying out standardized clinical diagnosis, treatment, and research on dental implants. The core evaluation indicators determined by this consensus will become an important benchmark for scholars in the field of dental implants worldwide to conduct high-quality research. The consensus is composed of 8 top international experts in the field of oral implantation

Recently, autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy was completed in Shanghai, and British girls born in the 1990s have suffered from multiple relapses of blood diseases, including stem cells, peripheral blood, and diseases
Recently, autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy was completed in Shanghai, and British girls born in the 1990s have suffered from multiple relapses of blood diseases, including stem cells, peripheral blood, and diseases

Recently, Catherine, a British girl born in the 1990s, received autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transfusion at the Cancer Center of Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital, and was successfully discharged from the warehouse. She is now on her way back to China after being discharged from the hospital. She is also the first patient at Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital to complete relevant treatments. In 2019, Catherine was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in the UK, and after treatment, the disease completely improved. During her work and life in China in 2021, she went to seek medical attention due to multiple enlarged lymph nodes. Pathological biopsy confirmed a recurrence of Hodgkin's lymphoma, and through combined targeted drug treatment, her condition was temporarily under control. Last year in the second half of the year, when the disease recurred, the girl began to use immunotherapy combined with targeted drugs for treatment. Expert evaluation suggests that for young patients with hematological tumors, the risk of recurrence is high and treatment difficulty is increasing in the future. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy is recommended